Bassist/Vocalist Esperanza Spalding Wins Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award

For Immediate Release – Smithsonian Magazine Editor-In-Chief Michael Caruso has announced that bassist, vocalist, composer and bandleader Esperanza Spalding has won a Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award in the category of performing arts. The first annual Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Awards honor nine groundbreaking individuals in technology, performing and visual arts, natural and physical sciences, education, historical scholarship, social progress and youth achievement. The awards, designed by Pulitzer Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, were presented at a gala event at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC on November 28, 2012.

“The Smithsonian has a long tradition of showcasing American ingenuity – in our collections we have Edison’s light bulb, the Wright Brother’s flyer, Henry Ford’s Model T, Steve Jobs’s Apple computer,” says Smithsonian Magazine Editor-in-Chief Michael Caruso. “That’s the spirit we wanted to capture in our pages, the people working today who are shaping the world of tomorrow.”

Among the presenters at the American Ingenuity Awards gala event was jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who presented the performing arts award to Spalding and said, “She is magnificent and poetic.” (Please see attached photo.) Spalding also performed at the gala.

Esperanza Spalding has become the first lady of jazz. She played with Stevie Wonder for President Obama at the White House and went on to become the first jazz musician to win a Best New Artist Grammy® with Chamber Music Society. Spalding’s latest release, Radio Music Society, her most diverse, ambitious and masterful recital yet, has spent over thirteen weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart.

Smithsonian Magazine’s special December “augmented reality’ issue marking the awards hits stands December 4th. Throughout the issue, readers can use Smithsonian’s app to launch video and graphics that provide a firsthand glimpse of the winner’s achievements. The Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Awards will also be featured on the Smithsonian Channel and on a microsite at www.Smithsonian.com. />

About Smithsonian Media
Smithsonian Media comprises of its flagship publication, Smithsonian Magazine, as well as Air & Space, goSmithsonian, Smithsonian Media Digital Network, and the Smithsonian Channel. Smithsonian Media is a division of Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating business unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visit the museums annually.